


Of Talking Sheep and Bleating Hearts

by ordinaryxtreme



Category: Band Yarouze!
Genre: M/M, also gratuitous use of sheep puns, not really a serious fic, this doesnt make sense
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-13
Updated: 2017-01-28
Packaged: 2018-09-17 05:50:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,166
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9308210
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ordinaryxtreme/pseuds/ordinaryxtreme
Summary: "What is going on, Asahi." Kazuma asked, but it sounded more like a demand."... Oh, uh hey, Kazuma-kun...” He didn't know how to answer him, so, remembering that it was just after the Christmas party, he jested. “I haven't said my Christmas greetings to you right? Fleece Navidad, Kazuma-kun.”----Wherein a dream involving pink, talking sheep ends up with matchmaking and of course, romance.





	1. The Part With The Talking Sheep

There are things people just don't think about in the hustle bustle of daily life. These things are usually trivial, not really a priority. But for some reason or another, our brains just can't seem to let them go and start to manifest these things in our dreams. That was the case for one Nanase Kazuma. There was something his subconscious was latching on to, and that was the words of a certain vocalist.

“As Aries's parents-"

Asahi was an oddball, a weird cookie, and even that was an understatement. Not a lot of people really understood what the chipper vocalist was thinking, and Kazuma was not one of them. His consciousness, his rational self, had already dismissed these words as just Asahi being his strange self, as should be expected on any day. But, as he was falling asleep that night, he didn't think he'd open his eyes floating in the midst of a sickeningly bright blue sky with giant Aries acting as clouds.

"What the fuck," he muttered to himself, wondering if he ate something bad during the party. He didn't want to think he died because if heaven looked like this he'd rather go to hell. He remembered dreaming about a sentient Aries calling him its father a while back. There couldn't be any dream weirder than that, he used to think, but now he stood (or floated) corrected. Eager to get out of this, he navigated his way through the clouds.

Meanwhile, Asahi, who awoke not too far from where the guitarist was, didn't even react to the "landscape" anymore. He'd had these dreams before and was somewhat internally glad his had his own dreamverse (which he called the Ewe-nited States of Aries). Nothing really happened in these dreams, most of the time it was just him leisurely lying on one of the huge Aries or frolicking around or indulging in some sheep thrills doing stunts in the air. Rarely, usually when he was troubled, he'd encounter a mini sentient Aries, probably only the size of his head. It would impart some questionable advice and help with his problems.

The previous night, Asahi had already met said mini Aries, who revealed that he was its mother of all things (and Kazuma the father, but he'd rather not think about that). Today, too, mini Aries came to him, enthusiastically shouting, "Mama!"

As an older brother and caretaker of not only little brothers but also a plethora of animals, being called that turned his maternal instincts on. He spread his arms. "Aries, hug!" He called, and the sheep seemed to light up as it squealed, elated, jumping into Asahi's embrace. "Ahaha! You're so cute!"

After a bit of cuddling, Aries seemed to notice something and slipped out of his arms. It ran off somewhere and came back with Kazuma in tow. "Papa came too!" It said, pulling a shell shocked Kazuma closer to Asahi, who was just as shocked, if not more. Wasn't this supposed to be his dreamverse?

"What is going on, Asahi." Kazuma asked, but it sounded more like a demand.

Asahi would've answered Kazuma if only the guitarist's very existence in this "landscape" didn't confuse him to death. Especially with the whole father thing. "... Oh, uh hey, Kazuma-kun...” He didn't know how to answer him, so, remembering that it was just after the Christmas party, he jested. “I haven't said my Christmas greetings to you right? Fleece Navidad, Kazuma-kun.”

Kazuma clicked his tongue at being given a horrible pun instead of answers. What was he thinking, expecting Asahi to know anything? He asked instead. "What are you doing here?"

"Um, I'm kind of Aries's mom in this world so I'm just keeping it company," he answered simply, though he didn't really consider the fact that Kazuma would understand what he was saying. To his surprise, Kazuma did.

"Wait seriously? I thought you were kidding about us being," he paused to raise his hand, making air quotations, "'parents'." Kazuma was already exhausted, and he was sure dreams weren't supposed to be tiring.

"...." Both had no words to say, one bewildered that he was parents with Asahi (of all people) to pink, sentient sheep, and one still insistent that Kazuma being in his dreamverse is unreasonable.

"Papa! Hug!" Aries broke the silence. It was stretching its short flimsy limbs trying to reach Kazuma, looking up at him with such an expression that Kazuma couldn't help but feel a twinge of endearment. "Oh, alright," he succumbed. He'd hugged his child (if he could even call it that) in another dream before, so there was no point in being embarrassed. Even Asahi, who was intently watching him cuddle the sheep, was just a figment of his dream. Or at least he was convinced. So he just let himself loose, enjoying the feeling of Aries's fleece on his skin.

Kazuma was all around loving, and in Asahi's eyes, it was probably the cutest, most endearing thing he had ever seen. No wonder Aries declared him its father. "Kazuma-kun, you have an unexpectedly cute side to you. Aries loves you!" The vocalist blurted, as carefree as always, also convinced that Kazuma was just a figment of his dream.

"S-shut up. Aries is just fluffy...." Kazuma snapped, but trailed off at the end, clearly embarrassed.

"Mama and Papa should hug too!" Aries excitedly suggested, jumping out of Kazuma's arms to watch them.

"Eh...." Both hesitantly looked at each other, flabbergasted at the outrageous idea. They didn't want to do it, it'd be too embarrassing even if it was just a dream, but they didn't have the heart to say no to Aries. It didn't take long for Aries to plead once more, teary eyed and looking like a kicked puppy. "Please... For Aries..."

That was like an ewe-pid's arrow right at Asahi's heart and he couldn't bear to let his child cry. "I'm sorry, Kazuma-kun," he whispers, right before he basically glomps Kazuma. The guitarist, not ready and not willing, lost his balance and fell backward into the soft fleece of the huge Aries cloud they were standing on (it let out a loud, reverberating bleat) with Asahi on top of him, his arms still persistently embracing him.

He didn't push Asahi off of him for some reason, assuring himself it was because he never knew what it felt like to be hugged so tightly instead of the fact that it was Asahi. "Geez, be careful," Kazuma mumbled in what was supposed to be protest, but the way his arm slowly circled the other's waist betrayed his intent.

"Sorry," Asahi apologized, but he didn't seem apologetic at all, especially since he was essentially burying his face in Kazuma's chest. He could hear as Kazuma's heartbeat slowed and felt his body relax under him. It was so warm and comfortable and he wouldn't mind staying like that forever.

For who knows how long, they stayed like that until Kazuma started getting sore from Asahi's weight. It felt weirdly realistic. He thought dreams were supposed to be painless. "You can get up now, you know," he said, pushing the boy up and away from him.

"Ah, right... sorry." Asahi finally pushed himself so he was sitting up and Kazuma followed suit. Both were now wishing the dream would end already because it would definitely be awkward if they go any further. They looked at Aries, thinking that was surely enough for the little creature, but it seemed dissatisfied about something. "What's wrong, Aries?" Asahi asked, but soon regretted doing so.

"Not enough! I want Mama and Papa to kiss!" It demanded, just like a five year old, except that five year olds would probably demand for ice cream instead of.... this.

"W-what?!" Kazuma spluttered, louder than intended. His face was getting hot really fast. He stared incredulously at the animal, and guessing by the silence, Asahi was doing the same. Under their stares, the sheep trembled and shook, getting more teary-eyed by the second. "Please... Aries only wants Papa and Mama to be happy..." It begged in between high-pitched sobs.

Asahi's heart clenched. He heard that dreams didn't hurt but oh, how wrong that was. He just couldn't bear the sight. Daring a glance at Kazuma, he concluded that the guitarist felt the same based on the way his eyebrows scrunched up and the way he was biting his lower lip. He honestly intended to give in first and just kiss the older man already, but Kazuma beat him to the punch.

"Fine, let's do it," the guitarist spoke, sounding resolute, even though his next words pained him to say. "It's just a dream anyway."

Those words stung Asahi, though he pretended not to notice. "... Ok, so..." He mumbled, leaning closer to the older man, who extended his arm to touch the other's face. Kazuma caressed the vocalist's cheek, letting his touches linger on Asahi's soft skin. Asahi wondered if he was the only one feeling the electric spark at every touch. He had no idea what to do with his hands so he just let them lay limply at his side. The fact that Kazuma was more experienced in this area made him a little self-conscious.

'God, that hair is annoying,' Kazuma thought, and promptly swept the locks out of the other's eye and tucked it behind his ear. Why had he never noticed what a beautiful shade of blue the boy's eyes were? It wasn't blindingly bright like the sky around them, instead it was cool and calming.

He brought his hand to the back of Asahi's neck, feeling the soft, short hair on it before slowly pulling him in. At that, Asahi closed his eyes and puckered his lips, shoulders tense as he wasn't sure if he was even doing it right.

Their lips finally touched, chaste and hesitant, but it didn't take long for Kazuma to deepen the kiss. Asahi was so tense and wasn't responding at all, so Kazuma grunted in annoyance in an attempt to tell the other to loosen up, and it worked somehow. Asahi's body finally relaxed, and he hesitantly returned the kiss, bringing his hand up to touch Kazuma's face. They kept at it until they needed air, parting their lips breathlessly.

"Yay! Papa and Mama love each other!" Aries squealed in delight.

That was the last thing they remembered before the blue and pink world faded to black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gratuitous use of canon material is gratuitous. As appealing as the concept is, Asahi does not constantly make sheep puns in canon.
> 
> I actually finished the whole thing but I'm updating every 5 days cos what is being an author without making the readers wait? Don't worry, this isn't the longest chapter :p
> 
> If you want to scream at me on twitter it's @OrdinaryXtreme  
> Co-written with my friend @Rifda20, thanks for screaming about these two with me.


	2. Chapter 2

"Goooood morning guys!" Yoshimune yelled as he entered the studio. He was on time today and he was not going to let Kazumacchi be a wooly bully and pick on him. Only, Kazuma wasn't there. Neither was Asahi. Now that was odd. Only Misato was there, playing with his drumsticks (and clumsily dropping them the next second).

"Morning, Yoshimune," Misato greeted, not really looking at him, busy picking up his drumsticks that have rolled away.

"Hey, Misato. Only you here? Where are the other two? They're usually here early." Yoshimune enquired, looking around the still empty studio. Damn, seeing the studio still spick and span like this (and not full of a bunch of guys) was weird.

"Yeah, I'm the only one. Haven't seen those two all day..." The small boy answered, finally standing up again after crawling around in search of his instruments. He didn't learn his lesson though, and kept twirling it. Because if all the cool drummers could do it, why couldn't he?

"Eh, let's wait till noon then. Maybe they're sick?" He wondered aloud, tinkering with his bass guitar.

"... I hope those two are fine."

* * *

Kazuma was not fine at all. He awoke with a start, giving himself a moment to collect himself because

"What the actual fuck was that."

His bedsheets were messy, atypical of him, and it only served to worsen his emotional state. As he made the bed, he couldn't stop his thoughts from running back to the dream. He kissed Asahi? And it felt oddly real too, not like he knew what a real real kiss felt like. It felt... good to say the least and he absolutely hated that it did. He went to the bathroom to wash his face and clear his thoughts, reassuring himself. "Yeah, no fucking way I kissed Asahi of my free will. If it weren't for that god damn sheep honestly."

Meanwhile Asahi was less fine than Kazuma in the most literal sense. He woke up in a panic and ended up off his bed and on the floor, all sore (Ah, that rhymed, he could use those for lyrics maybe).

"Owww... ugh my sides hurt," he mumbled, but didn't really feel any drive to get off the floor. "That dream... Why was Kazuma in my dreamverse? And why did I dream of kissing him of all things..." He grabbed a pillow from the bed to muffle his screaming, even though it was mostly internal, trying his best not to flail around in embarrassment. Oh flock, sheep was really starting to hit the fan. "But I hate seeing Aries sad..."

He removes the pillow from his face to check the time and once he realized what time it was, he literally jumped to his feet. "Aaaah, I'm so late!!! Kazuma-kun's going to roast me for sure!!"

But he stopped himself, and sighed. "Did I just say 'roast me'? I've been friends with Yoshimune too long..."  
\---   
It wasn't until 11 o'clock that Kazuma arrived at the studio. He opened the door with a yawn. The other two seemed busy with something, but the moment they heard the creak of the door, they turned to see him.

Yoshimune was SO ready to pick on Kazuma for being late (A once in a lifetime chance!) but when he saw Kazuma, clearly tired and with bags under his eyes, he decided against it. He was a considerate man after all. "Yo, Kazuma. Sure took you a while. 's almost lunch time, at that. But I'll let you off cos I'm a generous man!" He proclaimed.

But Kazuma wasn't paying attention to him, even after all his kindness, and only answered with a barely mumbled out "Oh, yea." The guitarist really didn't feel like responding to his band mate's shit right now.

"Hey Kazuma-kun are you ok? You seem kind of dazed..." Misato asked, most likely well meaning, but it reminded Kazuma of the dream and made him cringe.

"Nothing. Just, some bizarre dream," he answered curtly. Yoshimune was laughing at him about how weird it was to lose sleep because of a dream but he wasn't having any of that.

'Trust me, Misato, you wouldn't want to know,' he instead thought to himself, looking pointedly at Misato as if trying to convey his thoughts through telepathy of something.

Suddenly, Kazuma heard hurried footsteps running towads the door, but Kazuma's sluggish body couldn't dodge in time.

"Sorry I'm la- Ah!!"

The door hit Kazuma and still reeling from the impact, he couldn't dodge Asahi, who just bolted in and tumbled right on to the older man, causing them both to fall backward. Instead of the fluffy fleece of a giant sheep cloud however, Kazuma hit he hard wooden floor of the studio. God, his back hurt. When will this day end?

Asahi found the sight of Kazuma underneath him to be way too familiar for comfort. Though his head was telling him to get off already, his body wouldn't let him do that. It wasn't until Yoshimune and Misato's concerned inquiries that he looked anywhere else but down.

"Oi Asahi? Are you ok? You literally headbutted Kazuma." Yoshimune asked in concern, though he was snickering at the end. He suddenly recalled the time they had to hide in a love hotel and Asahi practically fell on top of the guy. In response to the snickering, Misato, who would rather not be reminded of the love hotel fiasco, sent him a disapproving look before voicing his concern at the other two as well.

"Shouldn't we be worried about Kazuma-kun more? He literally fell on his back. Are you ok, Kazuma-kun?"

"Ugh I can't believe this... Asahi get the hell off of me," He ordered gruffly, pushing the boy away with as much strength his body could muster.

The vocalist muttered a few apologies before standing up and giving Kazuma some space. The guitarist got up and dusted off his pants (he was wearing his favorite pair to get him in a better mood). Still wary about the two, Yoshimune and Misato observed the scene.

"Hey Kazuma-kun," Asahi started. He felt awkward talking to the other man and the question he was going to ask wasn't going to help, but he was too curious to not ask. "Uh... this never happened before right?"

Kazuma tried oh so hard to pretend like he didn't know what Asahi was talking about. He averted his eyes. "What has happened before?"

Asahi fiddled with his fingers nervously. "Um... Me falling on top of you."

Before Kazuma could answer, however, Yoshimune interjected. "Hey Asahi, did you hit your head too hard? I mean, it has happened before at that love hotel," he paused to keep himself from laughing. "But why would you ask him that?"

Misato told Yoshimune off for bringing up the love hotel, but Asahi was too busy wondering if the question was that weird, weird dream or not.

"Hey, Asahi, Kazuma-kun, you guys seem really worn out. Maybe you guys should take the day off," Misato suggested, and while that sounded like a very great idea to Kazuma at the moment, he couldn't let any day go to waste, especially now that they had new song they were practicing. Asahi had the same opinion and asked, "But what about practice?"

"I agree, we, especially you, Yoshimune, still have a lot to work on." Kazuma glared at Yoshimune, who pouted at being singled out. How could he do that when all the bassist was doing was showing concern?

"Y'know, if both of you collapse in the middle of practice then it's useless," Yoshimune said in retaliation and he brightened up when Misato nodded in agreement.

"Yoshimune actually has a point for once," Misato stated, at which Yoshimune objected, "What do you mean 'for once'?!", but no one was paying him any heed at the moment. "So why don't you two head back and rest up?"

"Yea, don't make me drag you two back home," the bassist threatened, but it wasn't so scary with him pouting, this time from being ignored. After much convincing and reassuring, they finally resigned and left the studio. So now, only Misato and Yoshimune were left in the studio. The smaller boy headed back to his drums, probably to do some independent practice, but the other stood there, staring at the door, hand on his chin and humming thoughtfully.

"Say, Misato..."

"Yeah?" he uttered a noncommittal response. There was a little dust on his one of his drums.

"Why were they acting so weird?"

"Well," Misato started, trying to think of a good answer to satiate his ever-curious friend. "They both looked like they were sleep-deprived."

"Well, there's that. Asahi being weird is a given," the bassist made fun, but not mean-spirited, prompting a soft laugh from the drummer. "But for Kazuma to act like that too..."

Now that he mentioned it... Misato's curiosity was piqued. Kazuma wasn't weird. In fact, Misato considered him the least weird member of the band. Maybe it was because he was older and had it together. But today, he didn't have anything together.

"Y'know how he said he had a weird dream?" Misato nodded. The other was probably concocting some improbable theory about said dream.

"Well, Kazumacchi looked tired because of it... And Asahi said some weird things. I was thinking, maybe they met in their dreams!" Yoshimune spelled it out eagerly, seeking approval from his friend. If he had a tail, it'd be waving in excitement. But even for Yoshimune, that theory was just ridiculous. There was no way they dreamt about the same exact thing. Misato quickly shot down the other.

"That's impossible."

The bassist looked downright dejected and his mood was contagious as Misato quickly felt guilty for not giving him a chance. Asahi wouldn't really tell the two what troubled him despite being their best friend since middle school. It worried them to death sometimes and actually caused them some trouble in the past, but that was a story for next time. If Asahi wouldn't talk, then let alone Kazuma. Maybe it was because he was older and didn't like relying on a bunch of high school kids.

They'd never talk to them willingly. Unless...

"If you're that curious, why don't you just... listen in their conversation? I'm sure they're talking outside right now," Misato insinuated. Knowing Asahi, he would probably confront Kazuma the second they had some time alone. Yoshimune's face lit up like a Christmas tree.

"That's a great idea! It's stake out time!"

* * *

Asahi should confront Kazuma, at least that's what he thought. The awkwardness was going to be troublesome, considering they were bandmates and... friends? Did Kazuma ever consider him one?

"Kazuma-kun!"

The other only grunted in response, not really looking at him.

"I... need to talk to you about something," he uttered, on edge despite the guitarist not even looking at him.

Clicking his tongue, Kazuma internally cursed Asahi's tendency to confront his problems directly. He didn't hate it on most days, it got issues dealt with quicker. But this time he had absolutely no desire to talk about it. "If it's about the new song, I told you, the lyrics are completely up to you."

Kazuma-kun was avoiding the subject, Asahi realized. He had his doubts, but now he was sure the older man who invaded his dreamverse was not, in fact, just a figment of his unconscious. If he couldn't get to the bottom of this, then he won't be sleeping tonight and he doubted that /that/ was what a proper vocalist and leader should do. So, he pressed on, for the band's (and his sanity's) sake. "It's about Aries."

"What about it." The guitarist tensed, his question not sounding like a question, because what else could the other be talking about? Ever since the first words they exchanged that morning, he was sure the Asahi in his dream was not a dream.

"Last night, I had this weird dream with Aries, and then you appeared. And then, things happened... and we," He inhaled sharply. "Kissed."

There was a long pause between them, nothing really to describe other than a gust of cold wind. The silence was giving his mind the room to think negatively. Maybe this was all a misunderstanding and Kazuma really didn't know what he was talking about and he just made it known. Maybe Kazuma was just out of sorts because he was tired and not because he dreamed the same thing as him, because now that he thought about it, this whole synchronized dream thing was just crazy.

"Uh, haha you know what? Ignore that. It was weird. Maybe it was just my mind messing with me and I'm just being weird as usual," Asahi retracted, praying Kazuma would let it go and it'd be all sunshine and rainbows again the next day. Kazuma only stared at him intensely, his eyebrows furrowed with an unreadable emotion in his eyes. Hell, Kazuma didn't even know what this emotion was. But it was too late to back down now.

"Asahi. I had the exact same dream."

The revelation struck the blue eyed vocalist like a meteorite, obliterating all the bad thoughts that have accumulated inside and replacing them with child-like fascination. On impulse, he grabbed Kazuma's hand. "Eh? Really?!"

Of all things Kazuma expected to happen, a starry-eyed Asahi was not one of them. It seemed like there were many aspects of the boy he didn't know about yet. "That's... amazing! We basically entered each other's dreams!"

"I wouldn't call it that," Kazuma stated, not really sure what to do stop the other's rambling. The hand in Asahi's vice grip was sweating in his gloves, despite the cold. Did he notice?

"And besides," he continued. "How could you call it amazing when we basically kissed in it?" 'But the kiss was the most amazing part' some half of him thought, but he quickly pushed it down.

Kazuma didn't have to remind him. Asahi was overwhelmed by the whole dream-sync thing (it was amazing! Could science prove it?), but the kiss was always on the back of his mind. It was time for him to bring it to the forefront again and come to terms with it. "About that... I liked it."

"W-what?" Kazuma spluttered, red-faced. "You... liked it?" How could Asahi say it so easily? He almost felt jealous at how simple the boy was. The vocalist could tell how the other felt insecure, despite trying to hide it. He didn't know why that was the case, but in times like this, his 100% smile should do the trick. His cheeks were starting to get a warm, and despite the embarrassing thing he was about to say, he beamed.

"Yup! Kazuma-kun's really good at it! I guess it's to be expected from someone who has experience."

Kazuma couldn't believe his ears. Good? Experience? He did tell the other band members that he had kissed someone before but it was all a fat lie (and he wasn't owning up to it anytime soon). More importantly, a red-cheeked, smiling Asahi was just, - he couldn't believe he thought this, cute and he was malfunctioning. The guitarist let out a garbled sounds which concerned Asahi so he promptly asked if he was ok.

"O-of course I'm fine," he stammered. He needed to get his shit together. "Besides, why are you so calm about kissing another man?"

Asahi gulped. Well, here goes nothing. "If it's Kazuma-kun, I don't mind. Aries seemed to trust you too, so..."

Doumbfounded, Kazuma could only manage an open-mouthed stare. And no, his face didn't feel warm at all. It was high time he ended this ridiculous (was it, really?) conversation. It took him some time to be able to produce coherent words and once he did, he made them sting. "Shut up. Just, forget about it. It means nothing." Ah, his chest hurt. "I'm leaving."

As Kazuma shook the boy's hand away and stomped away. Asahi's eyes never left his retreating figure, waving even though the other couldn't see it. It wasn't until the guitarist was completely out of sight that his smile faded. It hurt. Why did it hurt?

"Ahaha.. that went well," he mustered out a laugh, mostly to keep himself from tearing up. "I guess it was a bad idea to confront him..."   
He was glad he let his feelings out instead of bottling them up like he often did in the past but for what price? "Did he really despise it that much?" He mumbled to himself as he sluggishly made his way home.

* * *

Yoshimune and Misato were stunned. Their 'stakeout' turned out to be them just peeking through the slightly open studio door, which to be honest, bummed Yoshimune out, but rather than that...

"I told you they shared a dream." The bassist smiled smugly, nudging Misato with his elbow. They were sitting on the floor right in front of the door, now closed.

"Holy sheep. Your wonky logic actually made sense." The drummer stated in disbelief, to be responded with a loud "Hey rude!"

He was starting to believe all his bandmates were wonders of nature. And he was going to properly ponder over this later but now...

"Anyways, Asahi looked really sad about it."

"Yea. He's totally whipped for Kazuma," Yoshimune added. He didn't know about Kazuma, but Asahi was totally in love and it was something he noticed for a long time now. He and Misato had a few discussions regarding this in the past and needless to say, the drummer agreed.

"Mhm. He wouldn't look that sad otherwise," Misato remarked, concerned for his friend and he knew the other was feeling the same. Based on the glint in his bright eyes, he was thinking of something to mend this problem.

"Y'know Asahi's always been there for us," the bassist started, receiving a nod from the other. "And we haven't always been there for him. Seeing him so sad is just..." He paused to search for an appropriate word, but quickly gave up. "Sad. So I was thinking..."

Misato gasped, overdramatizing it because he knew that was the sort of reaction his friend liked best. "You can't be thinking of..."

"We're gonna Hook 'Em Up, obviously!" He proclaimed proudly. Finally, he got a chance to shine at his area of expertise! He had formulated a plan and he needed Misato's hidden 'ability' (which was blackmail of all things) to make it work.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Misato responded, just to tease his friend a little, but Yoshimune was too excited about his own plan to hear it. The bassist beckoned the other to lend him his ear, and despite the empty studio (walls have ears, or so he often heard), he whispered his plan.

"So, what we'll do is..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 5 days turned into a week cos I forgot lmao I'm sorry. This is turning really long and I almost regret putting this much effort on the smallest audience to ever exist XD


	3. Chapter 3

 Asahi was in the middle of feeding Jyaiko, his pet rice fish, and maybe also spacing out for a bit, when his phone rang. Startled, he barely kept himself from spilling the whole pack of fish food into the tank, - that would've been a disaster, and scrambled to grab his phone which he left at his bedside. The caller ID was Yoshimune. What could he possibly want at this hour? Well, Asahi was always happy to accommodate anyway.

  
"Hello, Yoshimune. Do you need help with something?"

  
"Yo Asahi!" The voice at the other end of the line sounded way too eager for this time of night. Maybe he had good news? Maybe it was about Kazuma? Ah, there's no way. They didn't even know about the problem. He unintentionally let out a sigh.

  
"Hey, don't be sounding so gloomy! Kazumacchi was harsh but he definitely didn't mean it!" The boisterous laugh that came after managed to make Asahi smile. That guy had always been good at cheering people up. Though the mention of Kazuma made him a little apprehensive.   
Huh? Wait a second...

  
"Eh?! H-how'd you know?" Asahi stammered in an embarrassed panic, jumping onto his bed to bury his face in his pillow. He shouldn't have talked right in front of the studio. He forgot that his friends could be major eavesdroppers when need be.

  
He heard a different voice giggle mischievously. It was Misato. "Don't underestimate us Asahi, you should've known!"

  
Yes, yes he should have. "Misato? You're with him too? Were you eavesdropping on us?" He asked the other boy exasperatedly, to which Yoshimune responded that he would rather call it spying because it sounded cooler and eavesdropping sounded evil. It didn't make it any less horrible.

  
"So, Yoshimune made a plan to get you and Kazuma-kun together. And honestly, I think it's a classic and good idea!" Misato exclaimed happily, though with Yoshimune yelling elatedly in the background, it was almost incomprehensible. And getting them together? Holy flock, the thought of it was enough to make Asahi blush.

  
"We knew you had feelings for Kazumacchi from the start, man. So don't even try to deny our help!"

  
They knew from the start, huh? Figures. They had been his best friends for years. It'd be weird if they didn't, honestly. As amazing as getting together with Kazuma-kun was, there was no way the guitarist would go along with whatever the two were planning. "But, there's no way Kazuma-kun would..."

  
"Relax, Asahi! We got this! Really!" Yoshimune reassured. The vocalist could almost hear the bassist winking and giving a thumbs up through the phone. Honestly he was a little worried that he himself might mess up after his friends tried so hard to help him. "Yeah, ok..."

  
As if he could hear what he was thinking, Misato said, "Don't worry so much, Asahi. Kazuma-kun will accept your feelings, I'm sure. Cheer up ok? We miss your 100% smile already." Yoshimune supplemented with an eager "Yup! We do!" in the background. It brought a small smile to Asahi's face. How could it not?

  
"Thanks guys." After he hung up, he couldn't stop smiling to himself. Ah, he really loved his friends.

* * *

Meanwhile, Kazuma's situation was very different. He came out of the shower to a new message on his phone. It was from Misato. Weird. The boy almost never texted him, much less this late. What in the world did he need?

He opened the text to see an attached voice note file. So odd. He could've just called. Shrugging, he opened it thinking it was just the boy fooling around but what he heard next shocked him. It was his conversation with Asahi from earlier today. Where the hell did Misato obtain this? Despite his anger and disbelief, he couldn't bring himself to press the stop button. At least until...

"If it's Kazuma-kun, I don't mind."

Gaahh!! He screamed internally, hurriedly pressing the stop button before he could hear anymore. He was imploding. With no context and only audio that line sounded way too suggestive. "God, what the hell is this?!"

It was only then that he took notice of the text below the attachment. To his horror, it said:

If you don't come to the park tomorrow at 10 in the morning, I'll spread this to the public, including that purple kimono girl you liked so much from that bar district.

If the sender were Yoshimune, Kazuma would've dismissed it as a joke but Misato was a serious kid. Who knew what the kid's innocent smile was hiding? Besides, he really couldn't risk any of this getting leaked to the public.

"He 'doesn't mind'? What does that even mean?" the guitarist sighed , throwing himself onto his bed. He kept mulling over Asahi's words and of course, the kiss. How the hell did a dream get so out of hand? The... kiss... was great and all but it's not like he had feelings for Asahi of all, people. At least, that was what he told himself.

God, how he wished he didn't have feelings.

* * *

It was 10 o'clock at the park and Asahi was on edge. This seemed like a great idea last night but now, he was starting to regret agreeing to it. He, Yoshimune, and Misato were sitting at a park bench, the latter two sandwiching him, though that didn't really protect him from the chill of the winter wind. Or was it his own chills?

"Hey, hey Asahi. You nervous?" Yoshimune teased, nudging the tense and basically frozen vocalist. He couldn't muster a response, so Yoshimune, who couldn't bear to see his friend so troubled, slapped him square in the back. "You can do it!"

Gah, that was going to leave a huge red mark soon.

Misato shot the taller boy a disapproving look and proceeded to rub Asahi's back in attempt to soothe the pain. "Yoshimune, I know you mean well, but don't hit him so roughly."

The bassist just laughed. "Don't worry, Misato! Asahi's a tough one. Anyways, just chill, Asahi! It's Kazumacchi after all, it'll go well!"

Asahi could only sigh. "I hope so..." He trailed off, but the resulting awkward silence was a bit much for him so he asked, "Speaking of which, how'd you get Kazuma-kun to agree with this?"

At the question, Misato giggled, sounding downright malicious. "Oh, I have my methods." Both Asahi and Yoshimune shuddered, even though the latter already knew of said methods. "Ah, also," the drummer continued, slightly glad he gave his friends the chill. "I brought you this."

He shuffled through the contents of his bag and pulled out an Aries plushie. Of course, not sentient. He handed it to Asahi and smiled. "A-aries? Why?" The vocalist asked, taking the plushie and examining it. It was almost the same size, just a little smaller, as the mini Aries in his dreamverse.

"Well, considering that Aries was what convinced Kazuma-kun to kiss you," Misato paused to glare at Yoshimune, who promptly stopped his snickering. "Maybe he'll act softer if it was around."

Asahi had his doubts. Kazuma-kun wasn't that simple. "But this Aries doesn't talk... and what if he still doesn't..." This was a bad idea.

"Sheesh, man, just go with the flow! Use your 100% smile, it'll be 100% effective!" Yoshimune cheered on with Misato nodding in agreement, pumping his small yet determined fist. Smile, huh... Even after all that pep talk he needed some time to prepare himself mentally.

"Speak of the devil! There he is!"

Or not. Kazuma was standing not too far away, back facing them so he hadn't noticed them yet. He was hoping the two would give him time to prepare but they had other plans.

"Go, go, Asahi!" The two pushed him out of the bench in Kazuma's direction, but he wasn't ready so he tried to regain proper footing but the ground was slippery and he up falling flat on his face. Good thing the guitarist was still far away. He hadn't even talked to him yet and he was already making a wool if hmself. He really didn't want to get up, but he did anyway, dusting himself and picking up the Aries plush. He trudged towards Kazuma, all the while rubbing his (now red) nose.

Meanwhile, Kazuma, who hadn't noticed anything was busy grumbling to himself, checking his watch every few seconds. "Why the hell did a stupid dream end up so problematic? Where even is Misato? Was it all just a stupid prank?"

Suddenly, he felt something, or rather someone, bumping into his back. "What the?" He turned around to see a red-nosed Asahi, who went on to meekly apologize for literally walking into him. He had no idea what happened to his face (it looked like he flat-out hit it on something) but he chose not to mention it. It gave him a reason to stare longer. Not that he wanted to or anything. The bruise just concerned him, is all. "Have you seen Misato around? The kid called me out here."

"About that... That was just a sheep-" Ah, that wasn't it. "err, cheap trick so that we could apparently meet." Asahi replied honestly, internally cursing his love for sheep puns. Kazuma clicked his tongue and at that moment Asahi knew it would all be over if he didn't act quick.

"So it was a prank. I'm leaving now," the older man claimed, though he didn't really want to go home, or go anywhere in general, especially after seeing Asahi's expression darken at his words. He turned back to walk away but, unexpectedly, the other stopped him by grabbing the sleeve of his coat. Kazuma was secretly glad he did.

"Wait, Kazuma-kun!" Asahi exclaimed desperately. "Please listen to me!"

"What Asahi? I don't want to talk right now," he protested weakly, most of his words being lies.

Despite what he said, Kazuma didn't show any indications of leaving, so Asahi let go of his sleeve and instead, brought Aries up to his face to cover it, clutching it with both hands. Here goes nothing. "I... I really, really like you. As in like like you." Oh, flock, his face was burning.

Stunned, Kazuma looked back at Asahi. He was hiding his face with an Aries plush (not sentient, this time), but he could still clearly see the tips of the boy's ears going red. There was something extremely cute about the image and Kazuma had to stop himself from taking away the damned thing just to see his blushing face.

Panicking because Kazuma wasn't saying anything, with shear determination, Asahi reluctantly continued. "The kiss... I meant it when I said I liked it... So..." He had nothing to say anymore, so he let the sentence trail off and dared a peek at Kazuma, whose face was flushed (most likely from the cold) and looking frustrated. The vocalist, although confused and flustered as flock, waited for a response.

But the truth was, Kazuma wasn't frustrated. Rather, he was just dumbfounded at the other's straightforwardness in spite of concealing his face. He spotted Asahi peeking at him from behind the plush, and just as he thought, his cheeks were red too. Those expectant eyes staring up at him was too adorable for his heart and he hated it how much he loved it.

... Love? Was that what this was?

Kazuma had been too quiet for too long and it was too nerve-wracking and Asahi couldn't take it anymore. This was a bad idea, his mind told him. Kazuma-kun didn't like him that way. "Ah, umm... Kazuma-kun, you don't have to respond to what I said..." Asahi barely managed a whisper, getting more and more discouraged with every word. "I'm just being weird as usual. Just ignore it. I guess I should leave..."

No, that boy was not leaving, not until Kazuma made it clear what he felt and he was not going to let this chance pass and fuck up. In desperation, he grabbed Asahi's wrist before the latter could go out of reach and pulled him closer. A loud and much too familiar snicker could be heard from some nearby bushes. He pretended not to notice. "Don't go." He nearly pleaded. "Look, just come with me, ok?"

The guitarist pulled the boy away from the area toward a cluster of trees. Completely bewildered, Asahi only managed to let out a frantic "Kazuma-kun?!" as he was being dragged urgently (not roughly, Kazuma-kun was never rough) by the guitarist. He didn't even notice the Aries plush that he accidentally dropped.

* * *

Meanwhile, retrieving the miserable sheep plush from the ground were Misato and Yoshimune, the latter laughing apologetically as the drummer chastised him about being too loud. "Kazuma-kun must've noticed! That's why he took Asahi away from here." He ended it with a pout, for extra power.

"Well geez, I'm sorry already!" Yoshimune pouted back. It was a pouting competition. "'Sides, we can just follow 'em if we want!"

Normally, Misato would agree and tail them but the expression on Kazuma's face when he pulled Asahi away was so tense. It'd just be horrible of them to eavesdro- er, spy on them after seeing that. He smiled at the Aries in his hand. It had done well as a medium for Asahi and Kazuma's relationship. But now, they won't need it anymore. Perhaps they didn't even need it since the start. "I think it's best to leave them alone for now..."

"Ehhh??" Yoshimune's pout grew. "But why?"

Misato sighed. "Look, let's just leave and do some independent practice. You don't want Kazuma to rat on you again right?" Besides, the drummer still hadn't master the drumstick twirl.

"But- but- but-" The bassist tried to retaliate, but the other shushed him.

"I'll treat you to yakisoba today, extra sauce."

"... fine."

Misato laughed. “You're such a sheepskate.”

* * *

Kazuma pulled Asahi into a dense cluster of trees, coming off the pavement and onto the brown grass, going deeper and deeper through the leafless growths until they reached a small clearing. How Kazuma knew of this place was a mystery.

It was only then that the guitarist let go of Asahi. He wondered if the older one noticed how clammy his hands were through his gloves. "Um, Kazuma-kun, why did you bring me here?"

Kazuma clicked his tongue. He kept glancing around the area, seemingly wary of something. "Hn, there were a few... distractions over there," he answered enigmatically, which only confused the other more. Seeing that the coast was clear and certain pests weren't watching them, he sighed in relief.

"Kazuma-kun...?"

Alright. It was finally time to get this over with. Kazuma took a deep breath. "Look. About the whole kiss thing." Agh, he felt like combusting. "I might have liked it too."

"Eh..." Asahi couldn't believe his ears. He fully expected Kazuma to retract his words but that never happened.

"And I might actually have feelings for you, too," he ended, wanting so desperately to cover his face with something because it was getting hot, - he couldn't even feel the biting winter cold anymore, and he didn't think he could even look at the other without imploding. So he averted his eyes to look at the oh, so interesting grass near his feet.

"Really...? As in ro-" Asahi gulped. "Romantic feelings?" He stared at the other expectantly.

Kazuma stole a glance at the boy and immediately regretted it. Those big, blue eyes looking up at him like that was too much for his heart. "Wh-what else could it be?"

Upon hearing those words, Asahi couldn't help but let out a relieved laugh, tears starting to form in his eyes. In between sobs, he said, “Kazuma-kun, I'm so, so happy. Thank you."

Seeing Asahi cry startled Kazuma. The boy was both laughing and sobbing. How he was doing it, he had no idea. God, the boy looked so silly, red-nosed and puffy eyed, tears running down his cheek (which he really wanted to wipe off), but it was surprisingly loveable. The guitarist moved closer, removed his gloves and put them in his coat pocket. Gently, using his thumb, he caught a teardrop before it fell too far and wiped it off Asahi's face.

The vocalist was stunned, so much so that his crying just stopped. The feeling of Kazuma's calloused,- experienced, fingers touching his face felt much more overwhelming than in the dream. Despite him crying ugly tears, the guitarist still looked at him so gently and, dare he said, lovingly.

"Idiot," Kazuma chuckled. "What are you thanking me for?" He wrapped his free arm around Asahi's waist and pulled him closer, flush against his own body. Asahi's face turned scarlet at the motion, spluttering incomprehensibly. The sight was just too endearing to resist. Without thinking, he swooped in and pressed his lips on the younger one's.

Asahi didn't resist. Rather, he couldn't, he didn't want to. He kissed him back, melting into the other's embrace. His knees felt weak and he circled his arms around Kazuma to keep himself from collapsing to the cold ground like a pile of goo. The guitarist must've caught on as his arm pressed tighter into the small of his back.

Breathless, their lips parted, hot breath turning into white clouds in the cold air. That was breathtaking, literally. Kazuma didn't want to let go and neither did Asahi. Kazuma wanted to kiss those lips again and Asahi was the same. They both moved in for a kiss, but ended up just bumping noses with each other. It hurt, but more than that, it was flocking embarrassing. Almost in unison, their cheeks flushed.

"Ouch..." Asahi rubbed his nose, which was already bruised because of the fall earlier, in attempt to rid it of pain. He found the hilarity in the situation though, and laughed. "I guess I still need some practice, huh?"

Kazuma smiled. "You and me both."

* * *

The next day...

"I'm sorry I'm late guys!" Asahi yelled, rushing through the studio door. He and Kazuma did get together, but that won't stop the latter from lecturing him about discipline. Not looking where he was going, he accidentally slipped on a stray drumstick (which Misato was looking for after another failed attempt at drumstick twirling) and fell forward. "W-woahh!" He was so going to fall on his face and embarrass himself.

... but no that didn't happen. Kazuma had caught him by the shoulders and steadied him back to an upright position. "Geez, be careful, idiot," he chastised. This dunce was going to get himself killed one day.

"T-thanks, Kazuma-kun..." Asahi sheepishly scratched his cheek which was tinting red. He was never going to get used to this.

The guitarist couldn't stay mad at that face for too long and soon, his frown turned into a gentle smile. He pulls in the boy for a tight hug, which Asahi, with a giggle, returned. It was a sweet moment, if only Yoshimune and Misato weren't so obviously snickering in the background.

"Ey, you two lovebirds! We kinda need to practice here!" Yoshimune whistled, but more teasing than anything else.

"Now, now, Yoshimune. You shouldn't tease them, as lovey dovey as they’re being," Misato said, meaning to scold the other, but ended up laughing too.

The two lovers pulled away, one embarrassed and one just a little pissed that his moment got interrupted. But Yoshimune had a point, for once.

"Come on, Asahi. We still got that new song to practice," Kazuma beckoned, smiling.

A new determination filled Asahi and he beamed, 100%."Yeah! Fairy…"

"GO!”

* * *

Omake,  
The voice note ended up being posted on their fansite, and their fanbase doubled in size overnight. Needless to say, Misato (“It was Yoshimune's idea!”) got quite the (figurative) spanking the next day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I relate to Kazuma.  
> Anyways, last chapter finally. Hope you enjoyed it cos writing it was definitely enjoyable for me! Maybe when this fandom gets bigger I'll make another one? ;)

**Author's Note:**

> Gratuitous use of canon material is gratuitous. As appealing as the concept is, Asahi does not constantly make sheep puns in canon.
> 
> I actually finished the whole thing but I'm updating every 5 days cos what is being an author without making the readers wait? Don't worry, this isn't the longest chapter :p
> 
> If you want to scream at me on twitter it's @OrdinaryXtreme  
> Co-written with my friend @Rifda20, thanks for screaming about these two with me.


End file.
